They’ve not seen a “mainline” numbered release of Ridge Racer since 2006, a spin off on ps vita in 2011 and a PS3/X360 in name only “Ridge Racer” unbounded.
So yeah, what happened?
I miss the simple arcade racers. I loved Horizon Chase Turbo, but I would love to see Ridge Racer take the arcade racer crown back!
I think a lot of it is just, the market changed. People wanted games with licensed cars, either more realistic or way more arcade-y (think kart racers), and the last few RR entries didn’t do so hot, so they packed it in.
It sucks but I can kinda see why it happened. I’d love to see them come back but I think it’s increasingly unlikely from Namco, just because the cost to make one vs the risk is likely to deter them from trying it. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more games in that style in the indie space!